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Although I could feel the annoyance radiating off Mia, I didn’t say anything. She pulled me past partially open doors and into a long dim hallway. Only after we left Mage Whitedove far behind did she slow down. Her tense shoulder muscles relaxed and she sighed with relief.

Was… Was she jealous?

I almost laughed at the thought. No bonded experienced jealousy. Once they found each other they just didn’t look at others like that. It was unthinkable… but Mia didn’t know anything… Probably. It would be impossible for her to figure it out based on a few poems, right? Considering the world she came from.

But if she was experiencing jealousy then perhaps we needed to end our partnership sooner rather than later and go our separate ways.

We’d talk about it after this heist.

I mentally prepared myself for the task at hand as we followed the signs pointing toward the rest area door.

Currently, everyone who came to the celebration, since they had agreed to be guests, would find that their non-gift, non-social, and non-food items were locked away in their inventory. It was something listed in the fine print and agreed to when accepting a party invitation. This locking of items prevented guests from doing exactly what I planned to do tonight. Which, of course, was why I wore my ring.

Ring of Item Obfuscation – This stores up to 20 individual items that can be taken out at any time regardless of an area’s restrictions (limited to low-level areas under level 30). No one under level 50 can peer into this ring to discover what it holds and it can only be Observed by others when not worn.

When we stopped in front of the rest area doors, I took out a scroll. At 500 PMk each, they were a bit expensive.

Scroll of Detect Life Forms - This scroll is used to detect the location of life forms and the direction they face regardless of visual obstructions. This effect lasts for 7 minutes.

Even without doing research, I knew that security guards would patrol the hallways. The Crimsondahlia clan had too many secrets and enough money to pay for the manpower for it.

After ensuring that the security guard going up and down our current hallway had looked the other way, I activated the scroll. A gentle magic effect fell over my eyes. Although I couldn’t see through the walls, the various people around the area appeared to me as if I could. They took the form of vague white humanoids with glowing yellow cones connected to their eyes, representing where they were looking. It just didn’t show how far they could see. I would need to estimate that on my own.

Aside from the one guard at the end of the hallway, who seemed to have a long patrol since he turned the corner when he reached the end, there were two guards who patrolled the hallway perpendicular to us.

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I held Mia’s arm close, brought her towards the edge of the intersection, and waited for the guards working the perpendicular hallway to turn at the same time. This was one of the issues employers dealt with when they relied on NPCs to do security.

When the timing was right, I quietly dashed to the other side of the hallway.

The silhouette of the long patrol came closer and closer to the corner, so without pausing for even a second, I followed the instructions I received from my contact and found the study door. I had been prepared to use my picks at this point but Davis had neglected to lock it, likely in his rush to get everything ready for the celebration.

I opened the door and stepped in, followed closely by Mia. Then, just before the guard turned down the hallway, we very quietly closed the door.

The NPC followed his patrol path. We waited. We had to since if we caused noise or if I used an item with a bright and visible magical effect at an inconvenient moment, we’d be fucked.

After the first time he passed the door, Mia silently pressed her back against the wall. As we continued to wait I noticed that her body ran hot, and in the cold dark room, that heat radiated off her. Her light scent, with its hint of sulfur, nearly broke my focus.

Footsteps once again passed the door. I breathed softly and concentrated on practicing the Stealth skills to lessen our presence.

When the guard finally turned the corner again my Detect Life Forms spell wore off.

I turned to see a room that had the lighting of a deep-sea cavern. My other ring only gave me a small plus to my Dodging skill so I put it away and equipped another that I’d picked up in a dungeon a while ago.

Night to Day Ring - This ring allows the wearer to see things in the dark as if it were midday.

The now bright room appeared to be a perfect circle. Wood panels lined the single round wall, making it difficult to see where any secret doors were hidden. A large oddly shaped desk that had originally been a slice of tree trunk sat near the center of the room. The sparse area had a few other pieces of show furniture and on top of those sat very rare magic decorations with stats that granted the inhabitant pluses to their intelligence while the owner was inside.

Now, to find the hidden door that wouldn’t cause me to die. I took out the next item that I prepared.

Lantern of the Night Trespasser - This lantern can be used to find the right path through a dangerous maze to reach the desired destination. Just open the shutter to use. Charges 3/50

I opened the shutter, spending one of my remaining uses. A ball of light burst forth and flew right toward the back left section. When I followed after it, Mia hurriedly grabbed my arm and, since she couldn’t see now that the light had vanished, she stayed beside me.

At this point, we had to quickly get this door open before it randomly changed on us. Carefully, I ran my finger down each line of paneling, searching for something out of place.

Ah, there it was, that slight catch. I used my fingernail to pull down on the tiny lever and pushed it into place. The door swung out revealing a small area between it and a dark mass of swirling blackness that even the day-sight on my ring couldn’t see through.

Lorevinel Silvercat: Mia, when I go in, I don’t know if I’ll be able to contact you or not. In case someone enters the room, hide between the door and the portal. If I’m not back in 20 minutes, assume I’m dead or captured and at that point, it would be best if you suicide to respawn at your bind point. We’ll have to figure things out from there.

Mia: That sounds a bit much. Wouldn’t it be safer if I come with you?

I shook my head which was ridiculous since I knew she couldn’t see anything.

Lorevinel Silvercat: I only have enough magical items to get one of us passed the traps the Crimsondahlia clan has set up.

She nodded.

Mia: Okay. I can handle hiding in here. You be careful. Don’t you dare fuck up.

Grinning like a madman, I took one last look at the confidant smirk on her face. Then, with my heart pounding — from the danger of possible death and definitely not because of how that expression made me feel — I stepped into the dark portal.